FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate: October 13, 2014Contact: Jill Harrison(405) 601-2757 jharrison@oerb.com

New Geology Curriculum Distributed to 4-H Clubs Around the StateFree curriculum includes new workbooks and rock kits for students

Oklahoma City, Oct. 13, 2014 –The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) is improving geology education for students in Oklahoma, through a new curriculum created specifically for the state’s 4-H clubs.

Previously, 4-H clubs’ geology materials hadn’t been updated since the 1950s, and didn’t include any Oklahoma-specific information. Students were either using outdated textbooks, or didn’t have access to any type of geology curriculum.

Recognizing the desperate need for an update, the OERB education staff worked over several months with OSU geology professor Dr. Jim Puckett to complete a new geology curriculum for 4-H clubs. The materials include workbooks with related activities, and unique rock samples.

“Students need to know more about our state and its geological diversity,” said Carla Schaeperkoetter, education director for the OERB. “At the same time, the materials will teach important underlying concepts in petroleum geology, such as rock porosity and permeability.”

The workbooks include activities on specific geological formations around Oklahoma. The rock kits include 10 rock samples that are used to accompany the activities and give a better, hands-on understanding of the concepts.

Over the summer, the OERB mailed the new geology workbooks and rock kits to all 77 4-H county extension offices in the state, ensuring that any students interested in using the materials will have access to them.

“This is a fresh new look at geology,” said Mindy Stitt, executive director of the OERB. “If students are interested in rocks, it’s another way to show them they can have a career in geology.”

In addition to projects such as the 4-H geology curriculum, the OERB offers a total of eight curricula to teachers: Little Bits for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade, Fossils to Fuel 1 and Fossils to Fuel 2 for 3rd through 5th grade, Petro Active for middle school students in 6th through 8th grade and Core Energy for high school students which has four different focus areas: math, science, social studies and language arts. The OERB created many of the geology activities based on the OERB’s Petro Active middle school curriculum.Teachers interested in finding out more information about the OERB’s education programs are invited to visit www.OERBHomeRoom.com.